Inside Universal Forums

Welcome to the Inside Universal Forums! Register a free account today to become a member. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members and unlock our forums features!

  • Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.

Halloween Horror Nights 21 Reviews & Photos

Aug 17, 2009
7,979
9,679
With Employee Previews yesterday and Opening Night tommorow, it's time for this thread again!

Post your event photos and reviews here!
 
I was honestly about to start this thread. :lol:

Look forward to our report tomorrow as we will be there for the Opening Festivities.
 
**Reposted with Tweaks**

So after seeing every house at employee preview night, I will go ahead and review them. Before I begin, it should be said that none of the houses were heavy on scare-factors and relied more on aesthetics. Also, most houses tended to have fairly weak finale scenes and I saw no blatant links to Lady Luck. Considering this was employee preview night, houses always have room to improve and often do. My opinions are not set in stone.

Nightngales: This beauty wastes no time and throws you straight into the action. That said, however, the banshees do transition slowly into more demonized forms as the house progresses which is nice seeing them with various looks. The scenes get more and more intense the deeper into the trenches you go. This house has some really neat effects, typical of your soundstage houses. There isn't really anything negative to say about this house other than it, like most houses, tie in very loosely (if at all) to the theme of luck. I did notice a German plane wing in a scene so perhaps we're in the unlucky side's trench? Anyway, I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

In Between: This house is in between great and awesome. The 3D is utilized to the fullest and actually does tie in (in a sense) with lady luck. The premise is that a college kid got a hold of a paranormal boardgame that wisps him into a dimension of surreal and monstrous beings. You begin in his dorm room and, taking a chapter straight from the "Dead Exposure" handbook, you end in his dorm room... only the other-worldly creatures are now unleashed implying the human player lost the game and hence, Lady Luck did her thing. I cannot express enough how surprisingly awesome this house was. 8 out of 10.

H.R. Bloodengutz: The queue video was funny, staying true to the recent tradition of goofy B-houses in this spot. You walk through a series of films shown as part of the homicidal TV host, H.R. Bloodngutz's, horror marathon--each selected film themed to a different holiday. You will experience scenes from such made up films as Ho-Ho-Homicide and Feaster Bunny. Scary? Heck no. Hilarious? You bet. I dare you not to giggle at the shotgun-wielding, maniacal elves. 7.5 out of 10.

The Thing: There were really no surprises in this house. They had elements of The Thing throughout the past four years of HHN so you know the score. It is cold. There are monsters. Things get gory. That said, The Thing still was a very fun house. There were a good number of animatronic Things that were pretty thrilling and, in contrast, guys and gals with loooud guns were opening fire. What was neat is that the facility towards the ending looks almost alien in its own right strengthening ones anticipation (assuming they had any) for the up coming film and where they might go with it. Oh, and there is real snow! 7.5 out of 10.

Winter's Night: This was not the epic I had hoped it would be but it was by no means bad. I had solid themeing and was sprinkled with some nifty special effects. There was a grave yard scene that uses force perspective to add depth which was cool. As far as the highly anticipated Weeping Angels go... there are only two which are in the very first scene (and only one that animates). This was a pretty big bummer. It was kind of a faceless house over all. Fun but faceless. I would have preferred to have a consistent baddie throughout the house or something to tie it all together. At any rate, this was the most beautiful-looking house by far. The set pieces are to die for. 7 out of 10. On an unrelated note, some troll drew a Mickey face on the front of the snow-covered stage coach. I LOLed.

Saws'NSteam: The premise is the same as the street. You are in a steampunk society where water is scarce. You enter a company called Horizon who claims to have found a (profitable) solution the water problem--by duping people into their factory and extracting the water from their bodies. Holy crap are the effects cool. There are water tanks with body parts floating around, buzz saws, mobile spiked walls, etc. There really wasn't as much saws as there was steam but still it was an interesting house. More to look at than anything else (kind of like Saw was). Yet another 7 out of 10.

The Forsaken: There was a large open scene (assumed to be the "hurricane scene") that looked really cool because you're so used to mazes only shuffling your through tight quarters. Also, there is a part where the flooring slants up which is fun but most of the effects attempted just were not executed effectively. Those are the few and only pros. Unfortunately, the rest is a bust. All the zombie sailors wear the same mask with bright, glowing eyes causing not only mass redundancy but alerts you to there presence from a mile away. It's almost impossible for them to scare you because those damned light-up eyes. The whole house felt flat. I got the feeling I was walking in circles in some parts just because there wasn't enough scene variation. It was missing a entrance facade as well outside the structure. Sadly, the Forsucken gets a 4 out of 10.

Nevermore: I love the idea of falling into the madness of Poe but I hate the idea of Poe coming with me. Scareactors literally wear a Poe-fashioned rubber forehead, hair, and mustache and join you for every other scene of this house. Aside from looking distractingly dopey, the Poes I saw acted more like Charlie Chapman than a tortured soul. There were some scenes that were pulled off well like Tell-Tale Heart and Masque of the Red Death but most were really lack-luster. The Raven scene, for instance, has you walking down the hallway facing a giant window where outside sits a tree full of fake, lifeless ravens. Along the way three scareactors in giant, ridiculous crow suits lower their heads at you. Not cool, not scary, just plain dumb. They could have had a raven on a bungue, red glowing eyes peering at you, something actually ominous for this scene. This was the biggest disappointment of the night for me, and I went through the house three times. This Poedunk house gets a 3.5 out of 10.
 
HOUSES
Winter's Night: some parts were pretty wow, other parts not so much. Some of the characters reminded me of some seen in the previous Frankenstein house. I don't really know the whole backstory, so maybe that clarifies things a bit. To me it seemed like a cemetary where experiments had been performed. Interesting house overall. Will definitely give it a 2nd try. RATING: 6/10

Nightingales: Blood Prey: WOW. just....WOW. What a perfect house (and I don't throw the word perfect around lightly). From opening scene/facade you are thrust deep into the heart of battle. Guns blaze overhead, people can be heard screaming, and a nightingale bends down from above and reaches out for passersby as we enter the trenches. It makes for quite the first impression. My first reaction was to step back a bit and take it all in. Beautiful. The Nightingales are fantastic and terrifying (especially as they become more and more grotesque as you make your way deeper into the trenches). There are constant flashes of light and the sound of gunfire, it really feels like there is a war going on above and around you...it's a fantastic effect that works really well. I thought the portrayal of war was realistic enough (I've never been through warfare so I wouldn't really know how it truly is). Overall one of the best houses of the night. Rating: 10/10

Nevermore: The Madness of Poe: Another fantastic house. I was worried I wouldn't recognize all of Poe's works but I knew just about every one we walked through. The first scene was fantastic, seeing Poe furiously scribbling on paper and clutching at his heart. My favorite scenes were The Cask...(It was either this or The Black Cat), Masque of The Red Death, and one that appeared to take place in a mansion. The best parts of the house were when Poe actually began to appear in his stories, almost acting like our guide on this journey, It was really cool to see him in these parts and that just about made my night. I don't know about you guys, but I wanted to hug Poe...he was so cool. Overall a very different, fantastic house that any Poe fan should see. Rating: 10/10

The In-Between: I had high hopes for this one. As it was it was a good house, but didn't really blow me away. Every room was pretty warped and twisted (in a good way, LOVE how it starts out in a college dorm). The spinning tunnel combined with the 3D glasses was quite the nauseating effect (and I don't get sick easily...I just about fell over in this area). There was a never ending hallway effect (best way I could describe it...felt like the hallway was almost growing). The laser room was pretty cool. One of my personal favorite rooms was the yarn room...so confusing but so colorful and awesome! The In-Between is a memorable house that I will definitely be hitting several more times. Rating: 7/10

The Forsaken: I hit this baby right at the end of the night. For the first half of the house I was the only one there (with friends trailing behind me). It was nice to get the scareactors full attention. The sets, details, and character designs are phenomenal, but I felt like I didn't get a clear understanding of what each room was. Right when it felt like the house was getting to the good part it ends. so dissappointed. I could tell the scareactors are dedicated to their craft in here, and that's a very good thing and is one of the reasons I love this house so. I was also impressed by the hurricane effects (wind gusts and water splashes...love it). I'm definitely going to hit The Forsaken several more times. Overall a great house that is just too short ( I felt like it should have been 10x longer). Rating: 8/10

ZONES

Acid Assualt: I didn't get to walk all the way through this one, but was impressed from what I saw, the scares I received in the small area I walked through, and the character designs. Not gonna rate this one until I walk all the way through it, but color me hopeful.

Grown Evil: A beautiful use of the Central Park area. Really succeeded in makng the whole place feel like an overgrown garden/park. Loved the blue lighting and the fog to be found within. Pleasantly surprised by the amount of female screactors here (and whats more...most were good lookng). Good scares throughout and good character diversity (stilt-walkers, groundwalkers, raven types, etc). Overall a zone I will definitely be spending more time in. Rating: 7/10

Canyon of Dark Souls: Nothing jaw dropping here. Lots of fog that enshrouded my vision (loved it), tons of guardians (very cool), and occasional fire effects. Definitely succeeds at creating claustophobia (I was afraid I'd run right into a scareactor). For such a small zone they did a lot with it, and the scareactors do a pretty good job at creating scares and tension. definitely a fun zone to walk through. Rating: 7/10

7- Walked through at the end of the night when the scareactors had left. It looks good, and I LOVE the music choice found within. Definitely has soe good potential. Color me hopeful.


MERCHANDISE

Hoodie: I was thinking about buying one, but it's just an all black hoodie with Halloween Horror Nights 21 and a small symbol on the top left. I wish it had a cooler design to it. I decided not to buy it.

Blood Bag: Worth a purchase if you've never had one before. Very weak, lacks an appealing taste, but fun to suck on (almost makes ya feel like a vamp). I had to buy a coke to help wash down the taste of the thing. Probly won't be purchasing one again (I don't need alcohol to make HHN fun), but it was worth a try.

OVERALL

Not the best year by any means, but it definitely has some potential. It had both it's up and downs. I didn't feel Luck's presence in the areas I was in and the whole event seemed to lack a consistant theme (not really a bad thing, but definitely noticeble). That said, it does feel good to have pretty much all original material this year (minus The Thing). I understand that this is opening night and thus the scareactors are still finding their sweet spots, I know that as the event progresses they will get better and so will the event (one of the reasons I try to go multiple times). I have high hopes that this year will eventually grow into something truly beautiful, but as it is right now it's still a fun experience that definitley left me wanting more. Rating: 7/10
 
Without having much time to go into detail at the moment, I can definitely say after only one night that this year's event is easily the best since 2008 (in my opinion) --- and could surpass that easily with some more run-throughs.

The biggest difference to me over the last couple of years is the level of and attention to detail. Lots of awesome effects in the houses, and I love how several of them have at least one over-sized, epic scene included. I can't stress enough how impressed I was coming out of the first trip, especially after admittedly not having big expectations for this year.

Favorite so far: Very narrowly, Winter's Night --- No spoilers, but this is one of the most immersive houses I've experienced. They really place you into the environment. Reminded me of a PG-13 Haunted Mansion.

Surprise Hit of the Year: H.R. Bloodengutz --- which actually is only marginally behind Winter's Night for me. Just a super fun house with great gags and detail. Reminds me of the vibe of Scary Tales. LOVE the theming. Very funny and gory at once, with some of the best scenes anywhere. This one I had the least expectations for, and yet I find myself wanting to go back more than any of the others.

Honorable Mention to Nevermore --- if for no other reason than to commend Uni for taking one of the houses in such a cerebral direction, especially considering the event is their "party" cash cow.

I could go on and on (and will later), I can honestly say there are no disappointments in the houses for me this year.

Overall, I can't help but feel a difference in budget this year (thanks Potter?) and it seems the designers have put a LOT of pride and effort into designing some beautiful and amazing sets for us. It's almost baffling that this stuff is going to be torn down in little over a month --- they honestly feel like the should be permanent installations.

DO NOT SKIP THIS YEAR. Sell a liver if you have to, but get down here.
 
Opening Night Review:

Houses

- The Forsaken: This was my first house of the night and I was slightly disappointed. The sets were incredible, especially the facade in the middle of the house and the tilted walkway. The scares however, were disappointing. This was not the scareactors fault though. The glowing masks were a ridiculous idea. The scareactors could be seen from a mile away in their hiding spots due to those glowing eyes. The scareactors were definitely trying hard though and their determination was enough to get me a few times. 6/10

- The In-Between: Possibly one of my favorite houses out of the three years that I have gone (2009-2011). The 3D was perfect, the themeing was great, the effects were insane, and the scareactors were on top of their game both times through. The scareactors in this house blended in extremely well making for many easy scares and the props were simply mind-numbing. 10/10

- Nevermore: Quite the house. The facade makes a great first impression and the house does not disappoint. There are several memorable scenes throughout the house along with several great performances by the scareactors. Props to the actor playing the Red Death (at around 6:30 PM) who followed and scared me from the second I stepped into his room to the moment I stepped out. Very memorable and fun! I wish I could've gone through this one at least one more time at night. 8.5/10

- Saws N Steam: Easily the best use of the Jaws house in the past three years. The space was utilized perfectly and it didn't feel like a cramped mess. The actors were great, there were chainsaws (unlike what I had read previously), and the themeing was excellent. 8/10

- Winter's Night: The most impressively themed house of the night. The facade is huge and the temperature was an enjoyably, nice touch. The actors were always good in this one as well. 8/10

- The Thing: This house was excellent. As Jake said before, you definitely feel like you're caught in the middle of the movie in some of the scenes. The scares were there, but just missed me for the most part throughout my two runs. 7.5/10

- Nightingales: I believe this may be the most underappreciated house of the year, though it's still early in the season. I managed to go through this house three times with absolutely no line last night and I enjoyed myself each and every time through. The theming was phenomenal and the actors were always on top of their game. 9.5/10

- HR Bloodengutz: This is definitely a fun, humorous house. I never laughed out loud during the queue video, but it kept me entertained for 30 minutes. The house itself had some great actors and some fun themeing. Props to the Bloodengutz in the first room, who asked me if the weather had ruined our night, and then said if it did, it was the corpse sitting next to him's fault. :lol: Also props to Abe Lincoln who got up in my face and scared the crap out of me when I was looking for the button. One of the best scares of the night. This is another house I wish I could've given a second chance, but the line for it was crazy. 8.5/10

Scarezones

- Acid Assault: Wow. The projections definitely lived up to the hype and were one of the craziest effects I've ever seen used at any event. The scares were there, just not directed at me. 9/10

- Grown Evil: Great use of its location. The scares were lacking severely when I went through, but it was still enjoyable. 8/10

- Canyon of Dark Souls: Excellent use of its space. Many of great scares on my second time through and it was just as I had hoped. 9/10

- Your Luck Has Run Out: Decent scarezone for its location. Very few scares on my end and the themeing was blocked by the crazy amount of fog in the zone. Still a fairly fun zone. 6/10

- Nightmaze: This was a tough zone for the actors to work with, in my opinion. I did get a few scares from some actors who were trying really hard, which I loved, but it still has some work to do. I do see this improving throughout the season for sure. 7/10

- 7: I ended up missing this scarezone due to time constraints, but the music as I exited seemed to create a fun atmosphere and I've seen/read good things about this zone. Fairly disappointed I couldn't see it.

Overall
This is an incredible year, possibly my favorite year out of the three I have attended (2009-2011). The themeing in the houses were some of the best ever, the scares were already there for the most part, and the whole atmosFEAR of the event was amped this year, even with the heavy rain.

Cons:
- Lady Luck: Easily my least favorite icon yet. The commercials don't do it for me, the backstory didn't grow on me, and the masks were pretty bad.
- The Entrance: One of the weakest entrances in the past few years.
- The Rain :lol:

If you have the choice, do not skip this year's event.
 
I didn't take many pictures or videos last night, but here's what I took:

Acid Assualt Projections:

[video=youtube;b-MznNaY3Bk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-MznNaY3Bk[/video]

IMG_0583.jpg


IMG_0584.jpg


IMG_0586.jpg


IMG_0587.jpg


IMG_0591.jpg


IMG_0592.jpg


IMG_0593.jpg
 
Here's my review from Friday September 23, 2011
Rank them in order from best to worst 1-10

Haunted Houses
1. Nevermore-The Madness Of Poe
Detail- 9/10
Scares- 9/10
Atmosphere- 10/10
Pros: Loved the entrance theme, each room representing a poem, and the nonstop scares.
Cons: Got so scared in this house I actually lost my cell phone, thankfully got back from security within in hour. Thanks Orlando Police Department!

2. Saws N' Steam- Into The Machine
Detail- 8/10
Scares- 8.5/10
Atmosphere- 9.10
Pros: A HUGE step up for Universal for finally breaking the jaws curse house, this house is loud and has some really good scares. Loved some of the neat effects in here
Cons: More chainsaw scareactors.

3. The Forsaken
Detail- 10/10
Scares- 7/10
Atmosphere- 10/10
Pros: Very detailed theming, loved the hurricane and rain effect throughout the house, and cool costumes.
Cons: Not many, just hide the scareactors a little better, could see them "glowing" in the corners.

4. The IN Between
Detail- 8/10
Scares- 8/10
Atmosphere- 6/10
Pros: Great usuage of 3D, Very colorful rooms, some good scares in here, and some cool effects.
Cons: Felt it was a little short, a bit too dark, and some rooms either didnt have scareactors in there or had only one or 2 if that.

5. H.R. Bloodengutz Presents Holidays of Horror
Detail- 8/10
Scares- 2/10
Atmosphere- 8/10
Pros: Very fun house to walkthrough, loved the different themes in every room, and great sound effects.
Cons: Only got scared once (wasnt paying attention in one room) and not enough scareactors.

6. Nightingales- Blood Prey
Detail- 9/10
Scares- 6/10
Atmosphere- 8/10
Pros: Great level of detail, some cool sound effects, and creative concept of being enclosed trenches.
Cons: Im sorry but the scares didnt hit me in here, only got scared 2x and idk didnt see many scareactors. Cast change im assuming.

7. The Thing
Detail- 9/10
Scares- 5/10
Atmosphere- 7/10
Pros: Another typical Si-Fi themed house put in on incredible detail, gave me some vibes of intersteller terror for HHN 08', and really startling sound effects.
Cons: A house with such great potential yet not too scary and thats sad considering how energized the scareactors were. Gonna give it another shot next week.

8. Winter's Night- The Haunting Of Hawthorn Cemetery
Detail- 10/10
Scares- 1/10
Atmosphere- 6/10
Pros: Very themed house, loved the cold effect and snow idea, and very cool concept of the cemetery theme.
Cons: I know alot of you might be asking why I ranked this last, well truth is, I didnt get one scare at all, maybe a little startle, but nothing. Idk im very mixed on this house, but will give it another go next weekend. For now it ranks last because I just didnt find anything scary.

Scarezones-
1. 7
Pros: Very cool scarezone, was expecting it to suck, but wow just a very cool high energy scarezone.
Cons: Add more chainsaws and you have a winner scarezone Universal! :)
10/10

2. Grown Evil
Pros: Very creepy and foggy to walk through, it really catches you off guard.
Cons: No scares, but great atmosphere and attempts.
9/10

3. Acid Assault
Pros: Amazing projection concept on the buildings and pretty interesting theme.
Cons: Needs more lighting and foam effect.
7/10

4. NightMaze
Pros: Loved the changing wall concept of them moving, got scared 2x in here and really dark scarezone!
Cons: Wish it was longer and little more creative, but looking at this zone, it could be a really good scarezone in the future. Protentially maybe house worthy next year?
7/10

5. Canyon Of Dark Souls
Pros: Not really any except sound effects were good.
Cons: Didnt like the short enclosed concept, felt like this was a cheap budget scarezone.
4/10

6. Your Luck Has Run Out
Pros: Neat music effect and very foggy
Cons: The lady luck facemask looked so fake, looks like Universal went to walmart and bought out their masks there.
2/10

Shows
Bill N' Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure
Pros: Storyline honestly isnt that bad.
Cons: Now I agree with what I heard someone in front of me leaving said, the pop culture reference was right on the ball, but the jokes were really awful and the audience didnt make one peep, not even the finale!!! Universal just needs to change the jokes, leave the storyline there, but seriously change the jokes up and it could be a good show.
1/10

Death Drums
Sorry didnt see it, but heard the noise of it.

Overall: I feel like this year will be a personal favorite being my 6th year in a row, I mean the houses are different, creative, and have potential to be persue into some future sequels. Now im not gonna base my final thoughts on the event just yet since it was opening night, but the soundstage houses seem to lack in scares compared to the houses in tents and ride lines which I find disappointing considering the theme and detail blew my mind. Im hoping that will change over the next week or two. Im so glad Universal finallly made a house in the jaws line where it was themed right, good length, and actually pretty scary. I felt it actually went really great in this location, so Universal must be hearing us. So overall good year, Bill and Ted needs desperate improvement FAST!!! and hoping to see more better use of scares in some houses.
Overall: 8/10-so far.
 
From Saturday September 24th.
I'll start off by saying that this year was my third favorite year of the four years I've gone (2008-2011). Universal hit a high point with XX because it had atmosphere that while not the most detailed houses, were creepy and full of great scares. 21 took a differnet direction by making the houses more detailed but having less of a scary atmosphere. That being said, in some cases this worked, which leads me to my top house:
1. Nightingales
Pros: The set itself was not creepy but the actors and their locations turned this into a scary experience. Some of the most surprising scares from any year, and definetally used the soundstage to its full potential. Not to mention the opening of the house set the mood perfectly.
Cons: One or two rooms had a Nightingale sitting in the open as the only scare.
2. The Forsaken: This could have been my number one but Nightingales had a scare or two more that put it on top.
Pros: The best atmosphere of the houses. The creppy sets and atmosphere that the other houses were missing seemed to have found their way to Forsaken. Combine that with some of the best scares and dedicated scareactors, and this one is an easy winner.
Cons: No real facade
3. The Thing
Pros: A lot of great scares and the creatures were horifying. Some cool effects (you may get wet) and scares made this a standout.
Cons: The house relied on large scares through the house. Not really a bad thing if you get hit by every one, but like 19's Saw, the house can be a snoze because you can miss every one. Poor ending and a lot of bland sets that really disapointed compared to the great facade and first scene.
4. Nevermore:
Pros: A lot of rooms that had some great scares (Red Death being my favorite) and a large collection of Poe stories that all worked really well together. Also really cool finale.
Cons: Some not so great rooms (tell-tale heart). I often found myself feeling safe in parts, and even some of the major scares did not pack the desired punch.
5. Saws and Steam
Pros: Great theme and some memorable scares unfortunetally...
Cons: some of the scares were just a guy walking in front of you. This is fine in some cases, but it seemed to be a large number of scareactors main means of scaring. The atmosphere was good but it was nowhere near as good as last year's Orfanage.
6. The In-Between:
Pros: The 3-D worked great in the house, and the effects were top notch. A lot of disorientation and a really great final scare made me jump so much my glasses fell off.
Pro/Con: This is more of a fun house then a haunted house. You'll either love or hate this house for this reason.
Con: A lot of obvious scareactors that seemed like they were there just to fill space in this house. The house felt like it could have held its own with no scareactors at all but as a fun house. And in the end, that is what it ended up being.
7. Holiday's of Horror
Pros: A lot of humor with President's day being the funniest of them all. Some scares.
Cons: Was it scary, was it funny, was it both, was it neither? I did both but neither really stayed in proportion so I was never scared enough to call this a haunted house, but never laughing enough to call it a funny house.
8. Winter's Night
Pros: A great set but minimal scares. One great scare started the haunt,
Cons: There were not enough scares through the rest of the haunt. Which really was not that much because this was the shortest house I can remember of all 4 years.
Scarezones: These were the best zones of all 4 years. The enrgy was high all over and for the first time I felt nervous to walk through the zones. Zones were 21's forte
1. 7: The energy in this zone was unmatched. Scareactors were running from behind to hit anyone that looked like a possible target. Actors ran out of the zone to scare people and this was easily the best zone in my HHN history.
2. Canyon of Dark Souls: Another house full of great actors and fog. You could not see to the end of the zone or the middle of the zone for that matter. Actors came out of unexpected places and delivered on every front.
3. Grown Evil: Great atmosphere and great hiding places. There was always the constant feeling that something was going to pop out behind a bush and my friend and I had to keep looking over out shoulder to make sure nothing was coming for us.
4. Nightmaze: Great concept and some great scares. I can see this being a fan favorite and honestly want to see this zone come back again because it was such a great idea.
5. Your Luck has Run Out: Seeing Lady Luck was great, and while the masks weren't the best she still gave some great scares and had me on edge going through sting alley.
6. Acid Assault: In my opinion, New York still does not work. I could see every actor and unlike 7, the actors did not seem to care. While 7 was open as well, there was the constant threat of being hit from any side at any time. AA actors seemed to trood along growling instead of trying to scare. And the projections, while nice, really did not do much to add to the zone. My friend asked me why the buildings were falling down at all. Some mist needs to be added because there is no way to know that Acid Rain is even an issue in this city.
Overall:
This year was not as scary as last year in any house. Even my top house could not come close to matching the scares of Catacombs, Hades, and Orfanage. This year did have many memorable scares which when put all together made the event something special. And that was 21's best feature in the houses, it had great large scares. Not to mention none of the house were bad. Some were middle of the road but none were flops, which is a first in my HHN history. The zones were 21's best feature however (despite one lackluster zone) that were leaps and bounds beyond anything we've seen in the past. Lady Luck was a great icon in my opinion I just wish she was in more then ylhro and Forsaken. This year was worth going to and it was a great night for me and my friends.
 
I really don't get the hate for this year's Bill and Ted. They strayed away from the easy fart jokes and had a lot more clever little jabs then some of the recent shows. I was laughing the whole time.
 
Here are my reviews from this Saturday, and yes I was able to hit all houses and some twice :lol:

From favorite to least:

1. In Between - Far and away the best house this year, they got me a couple of times in this house, but everything about it is as close to perfection as possible. Its creepy with those masks, its disorienting, and it was fun.
10/10

2. Saws N Steam - FINALLY! Jaws Queue has come through! I loved the feeling you got walking through the house, you felt like you were walking to your death and the SAs looked at you like they were hungry. The SA with the underwater suit was an AWESOME scene and definitely a memorable one.
9/10

3. Winter's Night - I loved the sets and the theming, one of the best yet, not many scares, but the atmosphere and eery feeling walking around made this one pretty cool.
8/10

4. Nitengales - I felt like I was in the middle of the battle and the Nitengales were definitely on their game trying to get every scare possible. The trenches were great and them progressively getting uglier was a nice touch.
8/10

5. Nevermore - Incredible sets, I loved the feeling that you were going deeper and deeper into his mind and getting crazier and crazier. They got my friend a couple of times and the same SA with the decapitated head got him twice on both of our runs, so good job there, but I lacked many of the scares my friends got, but it was incredibly themed.
7.5/10

6. The Thing - Awesome sets, I loved the feeling you were walking into something feeling uncomfortable. I didn't get a lot of scares in this house at all like I did with the original. It seemed BRIGHTER in this one than a couple of years ago, and I saw the same costume multiple times with the Thing sucking on their faces. The ending scene with the giant AA was awesome but it lacked scares on my part.
7/10

7. HR Bloodengutz - This was a fun as heck house and I loved it, but I had to drop down my list a little bit because I hit the button on the briefcase a bunch of times and NOTHING happenned, as I'm exiting the house, something happens, it sounds like a nuclear bomb explodes or something, so I was a little let down with that. Also this house had the longest lines the whole night which was weird.
7/10

8. The Forsaken - Same spot most people have this house. This was supposed to be a house of Spanish conquistadors vs these zombie creatures, and I only saw 2 of them at the beginning of the house and the rest was the green eyed zombies that you can see from a mile away. The sets were incredibly detailed, and the wind effects added to it, but there was no scares here at all and just wasn't what I was hoping and I was looking forward to this one too.
4/10

Scarezones:

1. Acid Assault - This was the best one by far and had the MOST SAs on the streets. It was funny not only watching them scare people but also to interact with each other which was pretty funny. The projections are incredible on the buildings and the rat lady was in this section too.
10/10
2. Canyon - This was a tiny scarezone but it packed a good punch, plenty of SAs with the on and off light skulls were going after people pretty good. Tons of fog set the mood and it was a great spot for a SZ.
9/10
3. Grown Evil - It was great to see the return of a SZ to central park as this is by far the best location for one. The costumes weren't that great but the atmosphere was excellent. I bumped into a couple of those wings when they had them open cause of the fog, but the male SAs were more into their roles then the female ones.
7.5/10
4. Nightmaze - I loved the idea and this was the only zone I got a scare in, but whenever the SAs were moving the screens around they did it in plain sight. I think it would have been creepier if they did it standing up against the screen so people saw a moving screen with no SA. They go around the corner and boom, easy scare. Good potential but should get better.
6/10
5. 7 - Great music, good costumes, lots of cleavage :thumbs: But otherwise no scares at all and only 2 chainsaws at the entrance of the zone.
6/10
6. Your Luck Has Run Out - One word. Pointless...3 semi-hot girls standing there looking pretty, and 3 ugly mask SAs pushing a button for a loud scream every 5 seconds.
3/10

Bill and Ted.....umm yea, I walked out before it was over...that bad and I'm a HUGE Bill and Ted fan.

Overall a pretty good year except for the letdown of Bill and Ted...again.

8/10
 
Here's my combined review from September 23rd and 24th

Houses


Nightingales Blood Prey:

Easily my favorite house of all time. The sets and scares in this house were absolutely incredible and the atmosphere and enviorment was set up so perfectly, the trenches were pulled off so well and every inch of this house had something to look at or scare you. I loved the facade of this house and the enviorment it opened up, as well as being able to see the nurses transform throught it. This house had some of the best scares I have had in a while and the effects were just too cool. Everything about it just blew me away on every level. This is not one to be missed! 10/10

Saws n' Steam- Into the Machine:

Right up there with Nightingales as one of my favorite houses of all time. I loved this house! The enviorment of this house was pulled off so perfectly and the level of detail and complexity of it was astonishing. Without a doubt this house had some of the best scareactors I have ever seen and delivered on every level. The effects in this house were awesome and the scale of it is something that will be hard to top. After coming out I couldn't wait to get back in line again. I can't believe they were able to fit a maze that long inside the queue. 10/10

The Forsaken:

I loved the enviorment and the hurricane effect was pulled off with perfection. Once again this house also had some of the most amazing sets I have ever seen and the courtyard area had to be one of the largest scenes they have ever done. The finale scene was great and a total surprise and the bungee scare was really cool. Great sets, great scares, and great enviorment. 9/10

Nevermore-The Madness of Poe:

Such a great house! I loved how the stories were presented and how you got to see the changing of Poes character in every one. The mirror room was my favorite and got me good. I can't believe how large the sets were in this house. 8/10

The Thing:

Another amazing house. The facade was cool and I loved all of the neat effects in this house. The finale was a great surprise. Great sets, good scares, Amazing effects. 8/10

H.R. Bloodngutz Presents- Holidays of horror:

Definitley a shocker for me since I wasn't expecting this house to be as great as it was. The humor was definitley present and I loved the way they introduced each holiday. Some of the scenes were really creepy and downright disturbing, and loaded with lots of surprise scares. 7/10

Winter's Night- The Haunting Of Hawthorn Cemetery:

The enviorment of this house was super creepy and the facade and atmosphere was top notch. I loved the cold, and the neat hidden effects. The only thing is it just didn't deliver any scares for me. 7/10

The In-Between:

The first time I went through was alright for me, but the second time I went through was much better! I loved how the storyline was presented and I got some great scares. The 3D was really disorientating. 7/10

Final thoughts:

Without a doubt this year had the best house line up ever! There was not one single bad house in the bunch and every single one of them absoltely blew me away.

Scarezones


Acid Assualt:

My favorte scare zone of all time! The effects were just mind blowing and the scares were some of the best of the night. What worked so well with this zone is the scareactos really blended in and right when I would think I was safe one would come up right in my face! 10/10

Nightmaze:

I think it was pulled off great and actually felt like a maze. Great scares as well. 8/10

Grown Evil:

Great enviorment and really cool characters. 7/10

Your Luck has Run Out:

I liked the storyline and how Lady Luck was presented. A little too much fog though. 7/10

7:

I loved the enviorment, very high energy. No scares though. 7/10

Canyon of Dark Souls:

I loved the enviorment and characters. 7/10

Final Thoughts:

The best scarezone line up ever! I enjoyed every one of them.

Event Summary:

My absolute favorite year EVER! I have been going since 2006 and haven't seen anything like it. It was a total surprise and went above and beyond the hype. I don't see how they will ever top this year. 10/10
 
Thanks for the reviews everyone! I can't wait to go this Friday! :happy:

I gather from most reviews and from what pictures and videos I've seen, that the quality is amazing this year all around, and favorite houses are really being determined by the amount of scares people get. Sucks that Forsaken is not reaching its full potential because the glowing eyes are giving away the scareactors... Maybe they should cover the glowing eyes with their hands and uncover them when they're about to scare someone.

Vyrus, that sucks about the button not working for you!
 
Not possible because if you get a close look at the masks there is a small slit above the glowing eyes which is where the SAs look out through.
 
Confirmed by my RIP tour guide that the button doesn't do anything as far as guest participation. WHAT DOES HAPPEN THOUGH, is that when the clock attached to the button hits 00:00 an atom bomb like sound effect and a bright flash happen.
 
Confirmed by my RIP tour guide that the button doesn't do anything as far as guest participation. WHAT DOES HAPPEN THOUGH, is that when the clock attached to the button hits 00:00 an atom bomb like sound effect and a bright flash happen.

Ah, that makes much more sense now. It did do something for me, however. It allowed Abe Lincoln to sneak up next to me and give me one of the greatest scares of the night. :lol:

Didn't A&D say there would be some type of button again this year at the tweet-up or was this what they meant?
 
Not possible because if you get a close look at the masks there is a small slit above the glowing eyes which is where the SAs look out through.

Bummer... so I guess I'll just have to see them coming :(

Confirmed by my RIP tour guide that the button doesn't do anything as far as guest participation. WHAT DOES HAPPEN THOUGH, is that when the clock attached to the button hits 00:00 an atom bomb like sound effect and a bright flash happen.

What?! That's pointless... What's the purpose of a button, then? They should just put a countdown clock or something in that case... :( So disappointing...
 
No, from a story standpoint the button isn't remotely pointless. I think it could have been done slightly better BUT I would like to think that it was intentional so people like Tbad could get really good scare by trying to hit the button.

I think that they did have full intentions for that button though and for whatever reason it didn't work out.
 
Will post a full review soon. Can't wait to make it back and see how everything progresses. I loved the detail in the houses; I'd love to see them when the actors are fully on their game. I noticed a lot of timing issues as far as scares are concerned, but things like that always get better as the event moves on.

Quick Hits:

- Nightingales is the newest HHN classic. Expect to see these guys return in a sequel within the next few years.

- The Thing is a really cool house. Dunno if it's better than the '07 version, though. Definitely had one of the best endings of the night though, and certainly one of the scarier houses overall.

- Nightmaze is the worst scarezone I've seen since I started going in '05. It's just fences, uninspired costumes, and a congested crowd. Bleh.

- The In Between is a huge leap forward for 3D houses

- Saws N Steam is the best Jaws house in years.

- Nevermore is beautiful, but I'm not sure it has the capacity to scare me enough to push it to the "best house ever" label I've heard a lot of people putting on it.

- H.R. Bloodengutz is not a "good" house by any means. Unlike previous humor houses, the humor isn't as based in irony as it is on the absolute insanity of the costumes conceived. I don't mean I hated the house. It did what it was designed to do. It was unabashedly absurd. However, if I was a tourist with limited time, I'd skip it.

- Scarezones are kind of weak.

- The houses seemed a little short to me. I'm not sure why, none of my friends thought the same way.

Preliminary Ranks (Houses):

1. Nightingales (9/10)
2. The Thing (8/10)
3. The In Between (8/10)
4. Nevermore (8/10)
5. Saws n Steam (7/10)
6. The Forsaken (7/10)
7. Winter's Night (6/10)
8. H.R. Bloodengutz (4.5/10)

Preliminary Ranks (Zones):
1. Acid Assault (7/10)
2. Canyon of the Dark Souls (7/10)
3. Grown Evil (6/10)
4. 7 (5.5/10)
5. Nightmaze (1/10)

(Didn't get to do Your Luck Has Run Out, as the actors were all inside because of the rainstorm.)
 
Last edited:
Top